Representatives of the Renault Formula One team have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in France later this month.

Renault have been called to answer charges that the team conspired with driver Nelson Piquet to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of their other driver, Fernando Alonso, who went on to win.

Piquet retired from Formula One racing’s inaugural night race after hitting the wall on Lap 14, just after Alonso, who had started on a light fuel load, had made his first pit stop. The subsequent safety-car period helped vault the Spaniard, originally 15th on the grid, to the front end of the field.

“The team asked me to push, which I tried to do and finally I lost the rear of my car,” was Piquet’s comment immediately after the race. The Brazilian is no longer with the team, having lost his drive in favour of Romain Grosjean last month.

Through their alleged actions, the charges against Renault include a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, which prohibits ‘any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally’.

The WMSC hearing will take place in Paris on September 21, the Monday preceding this year’s Singapore race.

Renault will face charges of race fixing at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix after being summoned to an extraordinary meeting of the World Motorsport Council.

The FIA have revealed that Renault will face charges of being in breach of the international sporting code relating to last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

Renault is accused of telling their former driver Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash out of the Singapore race in order to force a safety car which would help the chances of team-mate Fernando Alonso.

The FIA begun investigations after allegations were made during Sunday's Belgian GP about the Singapore race, which Alonso went on to win.

The investigation resulted in Friday's announcement from the FIA that Renault officials had been summoned to a hearing that will take place in Paris on September 21.

In a statement the FIA said: "Representatives of ING Renault F1 have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Monday, 21 September 2009.

"The team representatives have been called to answer charges, including a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, that the team conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso."

Article 151c related to bringing the sport into disrepute and should Renault be found guilty the team face severe sanctions which could result in them being excluded from the current Formula One World Championship.

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that he is apprehensive over the future of the Renault team in Formula One. “This is not the sort of thing we need at the moment," Ecclestone added that the investigation, which was first triggered by reports on Brazilian television channel Globo, could have been started by the ousted Nelson Piquet.
Renault will not make any comment before hearing and stresses that it will not discuss the matter beforehand.

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that he is apprehensive over the future of the Renault team in Formula One. “This is not the sort of thing we need at the moment," Ecclestone added that the investigation, which was first triggered by reports on Brazilian television channel Globo, could have been started by the ousted Nelson Piquet.
Renault will not make any comment before hearing and stresses that it will not discuss the matter beforehand.

Bernie is correct in terms of formula 1's future and in an economic point of view...FOM needs to please every single team to have them to stay in F1...

however, FIA is not there to make all the teams happy, they are there to make sure all the teams (does it include Ferrari??? ) compete fairly....
if the WMSC find any hard evidence (which is not an easy job, probably just statements from different drivers and team engineers)....and Renault is proven guilty...there WILL be severe penalty....

I believe it ... The question is can Nelson prove it? Obviousy he has an agneda to get back at Renault and Flavio but having an agenda is going to make him less believable unless he can present hard evidence... The guy's future in F1 is done regardless.. Maybe in motorsports altogether...

I believe it ... The question is can Nelson prove it? Obviousy he has an agneda to get back at Renault and Flavio but having an agenda is going to make him less believable unless he can present hard evidence... The guy's future in F1 is done regardless.. Maybe in motorsports altogether...

exactly....it will be Nelson's statement (or Massa's as I heard somewhere that it was actually Felipe who told the press...) against the entire Renault F1 team's statemetn....and I don't think the FIA has any hard evidence from radio transmissions....as they should've already monitor them last year already....